Articles

This month we want to bring optimism and ways to be part of the solution: Porto Protocol’s Living Vineyards pilot project to restore vineyard ecosystems, Napa Green’s Weed Management Toolkit, Eco Vineyards’ Biodiversity Action Plan resources and much more

Bringing you inspiring regenerative practitioners, a great article on what’s going on in and around your vine roots, an EU study suggesting regen practices should be added to organic management and articles about agroforestry

What does a vine root know and how does it know it? Fascinating article by Roger Morris for the World of Fine Wine. The right side of geeky but delves right down into what is going on with the vine roots. Latest scientific thinking. Just great.

On water and how you can use regen practices to get your soil acting like a sponge to avoid the flood-drought cycle. Also on how Indigenous people have been practising ‘regenerative agriculture’ for centuries. There are also links to fascinating interviews (Gabe Brown, Mary Retallack, Zach Weiss), great blog posts and some beautiful photo-reportage.

3 minute video by Jimmy Einstein explaining really simply why regenerating the soil can stop the drought-flood cycle

Gabe Brown explains how, if you pay attention and do things properly, you can reap the benefits of regenerative practices in a much shorter period of time than most believe they can By Growing Resilience

We’re excited to share our third conversation from the new season with the amazing Mary Retallack. Mary is an agro-ecologist with many years of experience working & applying an ecological approach to viticulture, with a particular interest in native insectary plants and their potential in biocontrol. Mary runs her own small vineyard and consultancy Retallack […]

90 minute video of our ‘Farming for the Future’ panel – widely held to be one of the stand-out sessions of the IMW Symposium. 04 mins 50 secs Justin Howard-Sneyd MW‘Does viticulture have a problem?’, proposing that solutions lie in adopting RV practices 19 mins 40 secs Mimi Casteel4.5 billion years of evolutionary history, with […]

If you’re wondering how regenerative is different to conventional, organic and biodynamic grape growing, look no further. Rupert Joy’s ‘Down to Earth’ report covers it all: what’s wrong with the way we’ve been farming grapes for decades, what regen does differently, who’s doing it and what certification schemes are out there. A must read.

Includes links to the latest controversy – carbon insetting. Plus a funded programme in the USA building a contintental-scale soil carbon inventory, acoustic probes for listening to earthworms in the soil, contour farming and much more

We’re excited to share another conversation from the new season – the brilliant Sérgio Nicolau, fifth generation regenerative viticulturist and agronomist in Portugal. Sérgio has turned his family’s vineyard from conventional to organic, and in the last few years transitioned to fully regenerative. He has had great success with his cover cropping to improve water […]

New conversations with brilliant viticulturists, to discuss regenerative experiments on the vines – successes, failures & learnings along the way. The first conversation of the new season is with Mimi Casteel, one of the trustees of the RVF. Mimi grew up working on the vineyard and winery of her parents, Bethel Heights, before studying forest […]

Catch up with what we’ve been up to recently – and what’s caught our eye. Includes videos of the Groundswell sessions on RV, a simple factsheet on how carbon is sequestered in the soil, information on the EcoVineyards scheme in Australia, Rodale Institute’s summer events in the USA and more…

June saw the first of what we hope will be many RVF farm visits. The truly generous folk at Harrow & Hope in the UK invited 20 regen-minded vineyard owners and managers along to check out what regenerative viticulture looks like on their farm. When we finally stopped debating, we had a tour with Harrow […]

‘RVF looks to shake up winemaking’ by Richard Siddle in The Buyer, June 2023. Stephen Cronk sets out what the organisation is all about and the steps it has already taken to get wine producers and growers around the world looking to farm and manage their vineyards differently

Beneath our feet lies a complex underworld kingdom. Soil is the foundation that allows viticulture to be possible and fungi keep this network alive. Aliya Whiteley’s potted history of fungi in vineyards, as published in RVF founding supporters Berry Bros and Rudd’s No.3 magazine page 16-17

We dish the dirt on dirt, in particular soil health and how mycorrhizal fungi can improve drought resistance

This crowd-sourced global database of living historic vineyard sites has been set up to increase awareness of old vines. From a regenerative viewpoint, old vines are great as they are so much more resilient and don’t need irrigation.

One of our founding supporters on their commitment to nature-beneficial practices and their support for the RVF. Having been around for 325 years, they are used to taking a long-term view

The University of Wales Trinity St. David’s in Lampeter has been working on the establishment of an Academy of Food, based on the Lampeter campus, for over 12 months. The focus of the potential facility will be to create a hub for sustainable food production in the area; combining spaces for artisanal producers and a […]

This conference from our friends at the Regenerative Viticulture Association brought us a really deep dive into what’s happening underneath your feet in your vineyard. If you want to know how the vines get their nutrients from the soil without chemical fertilisers, watch the video of the conference. Jeff Lowenfels (2hr10min into the video) is […]

Under-vine weed management treatments compared: The researchers found that the mulches increased grape yields and reduced maximum soil temperatures. A 15cm mulch is an expensive input, but may reduce tractor passes in seasonal floor management and water usage due to reduced evaporation.

If you are on our mailing list, look in your inbox for our May newsletter. It’s full of forthcoming events and news. We have a new Programme Director, two new Founding Supporters and links to resources on bees, wildflowers and under-vine mulches. For something for you ears, don’t miss the podcast on soil health indicators. […]

Tom Croghan of Dodon Vineyard explains how they use the tools of agroecology to regenerate the soil: limiting tillage, applying organic amendments, incorporating indigenous microorganisms from the surround forest and using grazing animals. They have discarded the either/or mentality to find values-driven, integrated solutions that benefit the environment, the community and their company. An excellent […]